Paul Astin

My blogs

About me

My name is Paul Astin. I am a writer, musician, educator, activist, husband, and father. I try not to take myself too seriously, which is serious business. I have a Bachelor's degree in Prehistoric Studies from Colgate University, a Master's degree in Latin American Studies from UCLA, and a Doctorate in Education, also from UCLA. I am currently writing a book about adolescent development, rites of passage, and environmental consciousness. This blog will compile my writings from a broad range of interests that generally consume me. I strongly believe that the entrenchment of disciplines, the myopic tendency among academics to view their area of knowledge as supreme, is simply a worn out way to move culture forward. I will therefore be posting my writings with the hope that I can cross-fertilize some thoughts and ideas from an array of disciplines. Surely I will open myself to criticism from specialists who see the gaps in my knowledge, but so be it. I would rather appear as a jack-of-all-trades and expert at none, than as a snooty old scholar with pretentious disciplinary blinders. Are you taking me seriously yet?